Butter slicer



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R. R. PERKINS BUTTER SLICER 5 sheets-sheet 1 1 Filed 7, 1947 EH .HHH M H. HUN WU R. R. PERKINS BUTTER SLICER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 7, 1947 R, R. PERKINS BUTTER 'SLICER Filed Jan. 7, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 28, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE".

BUTTER SLICER Ronald R. Perkins, Dallas, Tex. Application January 7, 1947, Serial No. 720,531

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved butter slicing device. x 1

An object of this invention is to provide a device which is adapted to receive quarter pound cakes of butter in single or multiple units, and is constructed so that uniform slices of butter can be easily and quickly cut from the cake Another object of thisv invention is to provide, in a butter slicer, an improved means for progressively moving the cake of butter, the movement of the butter being effected during the initial movement of the cutter and before the cutter comes into contact with the cake.

A further object of thisinvention is to provide a butter slicer of this kind which also includes a pivoted closureplate at the front of the housing which is swung outwardly to open position during the initial movement of the cutter on the cutting stroke, and'is returned to closed position when the cutter returns to its normal position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a slicer of this kind which is of simple construction and may be held in one hand during the operation thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide a butter slicer of this kind in which the slicin machine as well as they butter content may be placed within an iced or refrigerated cooler in such a way that sliced butter may be obtained from the machine while the butter remains cooled and/or refrigerated. The butter slicing machine may fit into slots or aperturesin the cooler or in some other way or manner situated so that the operator may obtain sliced butter simply by actuating the cutting mechanism and will not necessitate the holding of the butter cutting machine in the hand.

With the above and other; objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away and in section, of .a butter slicing device constructed according to an embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is a detailfront elevation of the device,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the device,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4- -4ofFigure1,, v

Fi ure 5 is a sectional view takenon the line 5 5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a iragmentary sectional view,

2 similar to Figure 3, showing the cutter at sub: stantially the end of its cutting cycle,

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showing the feeding means for moving the butter through the housing,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 4,

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 2,

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevation on an enlarged scale and partly in section, showing the cutter and the closure operator,

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line I |-l l of Figure 4,

Figure 12 is a fragmentary bottom plan of the follower and ratchet for moving the follower.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l5 designates generally an elongated tubular housing which is substantially square in transverse section. The housing I5 includes top and bottom walls [6 and Il respectively, and opposite side walls l8 and IS. The housing 15 has slidably disposed therein a follower in the form of a polygonal plate which is secured to an elongated toothed bar 21 by means of a connecting member 22. The connecting member 22 extends loosely through an elongated slot 23 which is formed in the upper portion of the side wall I 9. The toothed bar 2| is protected by means of a substantially L-shaped shield 24 which is fixed at one side thereof to the top wall I 6 and extends laterally therefrom with the other side thereof in depending vertical position.

The cake or block of butter which is to be sliced is disposed in the housing [5 and the follower 20 to the bight 28 of a U-shaped slide, generally designated as 29. The slide 29 includes vertical legs 30 which are slidably disposed in tubular guides 3| and 32 which are fixed to the forward 'ends' of the side members I8 and I9 respectively.

The cutter slide or carrier 29 is constantly urged upwardly by means of springs 33 engaging about the legs 30 and bearing at their lower ends against the top wall 16 and at their upper ends against shoulders 34 which are formed at the upper ends of the slide bars 30. The cutter is constructed in the form of a taut piece of wire which is stretched between the lower ends of the cutter supporting bars 26. One of the cutter supporting bars 26 has fixed thereto an elongated closure operating rod or bar 35. The bar 35 is disposed at the forward side of one of the bars 26 and is formed at its lower end portion with upper and lower teeth or lugs 36 and 3'! respectively.

A notch 38 is formed inthe rod 35, adjacent the upper side of the upper lug 36, the purpose for which will be hereinafter described. A closure, generally designated as 39, is pivotally carried by the forward end of the housing l5. The closure 39 is constructed in polygonal form and includes a forward wall 46, upper and lower walls or flanges 4i and 42, and opposite side walls 43. When the closure 39 is in closed position, as shown in Figure 3, the walls 4|, 42 and 43 will be in alignment with the adjacent walls of the housing 15.

The wall 46 is offset forwardly from the forward end of the housing so that when the follower 20 initially moves the cake of butter forwardly, the uncut projecting end of the butter may engage within the closure or cap 39. The closure or cap 39 has secured thereto a pair of ears or arms 44 which extend forwardly and upwardly from the forward wall 40. The guides 3| and 32 have fixed thereto upwardly extending ears 45 and 46 respectively, through which a shaft or pivot member 41 loosely engages.

The ear 44 on the side of the closure 39 which confronts the side wall I!) is formed with a lug 48, which in the closed position of the closure, is adapted to engage between the teeth or lugs 31 and 36, as shown in Figure 3. The upper end of the ear 44, bearing the lug or tooth 48, is slightly rounded, as indicated at 49, so that this rounded corner portion of the ear 44 may engage within the notch 38 at the time the closure 39 swings outwardly and upwardly to open position. The straight upper edge 56 of the ear 44 is adapted, when the closure 39 is in open position, to substantially contact with the forward side of the bar 35 and thereby hold the closure 39 in open position.

In order to provide for the progressive movement of the follower 26 and the toothed rod 2| during the initial downward movement of the cutter 25, and before this cutter contacts with the butter, I have provided a spring-pressed pawl 5| which is pivotally carried, as at 52, on an L- shaped lever 53. A stop lug or member 54 is fixed to the outer side of the housing wall l9 and is adapted to limit the rearward swinging of the pawl lever 53. The lever 53 is pivoted, as at 55, to the side wall l9, being constantly urged to swing upwardly and rearwardly by means of a spring 56. The pawl lever 53 is adapted to be rocked forwardly and downwardly upon downward movement of the cutter and the carrier by means of a second pawl 51 which is pivotally mounted, as at 58, on the vertical leg 59 of an L -shaped pawl carrier 60.

The pawl carrier 66 includes a lower horizontal leg 6i which is formed with an eye or sleeve 62 engaging about one of the vertical slide bars 30, and fixed thereto by means of a pin 63. The pawl or dog 5'! is constantly urged to operative position, projecting rearwardly of the rear edge of the supporting member 59, by means of a spring 64. The pawl or dog 51 is adapted to engage a laterally projecting member 65 carried by the L- shaped pawl lever 53, engaging the upper side of the lug when the cutter carrier is in its uppermost position.

When the carrier 29 is moved downwardly, the bill of the dog 51 will swing the horizontal side 66 of the pawl lever 53 downwardly and the bill of the dog 51 will then ride off of the lug 65 so that the toothed bar 2| will only be moved forwardly for substantially one tooth or division thereof. A stop member v61 is fixed to the pawl lever 53 and is adapted to limit themovement of the pawl or dog 5|, as shown in Figure 1.

In the use and operation of this device, a cake of butter which is preferably square in transverse section, and which may be a quarter pound of butter, is inserted in the rear end of the housing I5, feeding bar 2! with follower 26 being moved rearwardly to a position which will permit the insertion of the butter for the entire length thereof in the housing I5. This may also be accomplished by moving the cutter 25 downwardly to swing the closure 39 in its open position and inserting the cake of butter through the forward end of the housing.

The cutter 25 is pushed downwardly, being normally disposed a substantial distance above the top of the housing l5. During the initial cutting stroke of the cutter 25, the closure 39 will be swung forwardly and upwardly to the position shown in Figure 6, by engagement of the tooth 36 with the closure operating lug 48. At the same time and before the cutter 25 comes into contact with the butter, dog 51 will rock pawl lever 53 forwardly, dog 51 being held by means of the stop 61 against rearward swinging. This will progressively move the follower bar 21 forward for at least one tooth or division of the bar 2|. Further downwardl movement of the cutter 25 by pressure on the carrier 29 will cause dog 51 to ride off of lug 65 and at this time pawl lever 53 will swing rearwardly against stop 54 which is the normal position of this lever. Cutter 25 may then be moved downwardly through the butter which will drop from the forward end of the housing l5.

With a construction as hereinbefore described, a cake of butter may be cut in even slices at a rapid rate, and the thicknessof these slices will be determined by the extent of the progressive movement of follower 26.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A slicing device comprising a tubular housing a cutting member, a carrier for said member, means slidably mounting said carrier at one end of said housing whereby said cutting member may be moved across said one end, a follower in said housing, an elongated toothed bar fixed to said follower, an L-shaped lever rockably carried by said housing, a spring-pressed dog carried by one leg of said lever, eng-ageable with said bar, and a laterally projecting lug carried by the other leg of said lever, and a second spring-pressed dog carried by said carrier'engageable with said lug whereby said lever will be rocked to advance said bar during the initial movement of said carrier on the cutting stroke thereof. I

2. A slicing device comprising a tubular housing, a cutting member, a carrier for said member, means slid-ably mounting said carrier at one end of said housing whereby said cutting member may be moved across said one end, a follower in said housing, an elongated toothed bar fixed to said follower, an L-shaped lever rockably carried by said housing, a spring-pressed dog carried by one leg of said lever, engageable with said bar, and a laterally projecting lug carried by the other leg of said lever, a rearwardly projecting member fixed to said carrier, and a second spring-pressed dog carried by said latter member engageable with said lug whereby said carrier will be rocked to ad-- vance said bar during the initial movement of said carrier on the cutting stroke thereof.

3. A slicing device comprising a tubular housing, an inverted U-shaped carrier including downwardly extending legs, means engaging said legs for slidably mounting said carrier at one end of said housing, a cutter carried by said carrier and movable across said one end of said housing,

springs disposed about said legs constantly urging said carrier to normally dispose said cutter in spaced relation to the plane of the top wall of said housing, a closure swingably carried by said housing at said one end, closure operating means carried partly by said carrier and partly by said closure, whereby said closure will be moved to open position during the initial movement of said carrier on the cutting stroke thereof, and means correlated with said housing and said carrier for advancing the article in said housing simultaneous with the initial movement of said carrier. 4. A slicing device comprising a tubular housing, an inverted U-shaped carrier including downwardly extending legs, means engaging said legs for slidably mounting said carrier at one end of said housing, a cutter carried by said carrier and movable across said one end of said housing, springs constantly urging said carrier to normally dispose said cutter in spaced relation to the plane of the top wall of said housing, a closure REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,175 Von Glahn Dec, 25, 1928 1,532,034 Bradshaw Mar. 31, 1925 2,216,980 Miller Oct. 8, 1940 

